Page 10 of The Shake Off

“Where did you end up last night?” Lux pulled the waffle maker from under the stove and plugged it in.

“With a girl. Well… a lady. A woman,” I replied.

Yeah. Payton wasallwoman. I could still feel her ass cheeks cupped in my palms; the perfect fit.

I couldn’t see her standing along the fences at Spring Training, or waiting outside our hotel.

“A woman? Even with that slug on your face?” he grinned.

I smoothed down my moustache and winked at him. “Dude, mock all you want, but I haven’t had complaints from any age group.”

He grabbed a jar of flour from the cabinet and opened the drawer of spices, scanning down the rows until he found what he was looking for.

“Where d’you meet her?”

“West Fifty-Fifth.”

“And you’re just getting back now?”

“Yup.” I pushed the bowl of eggs over the counter to him. I’d whipped those babies good.

“Nice.”

“Yeah.” I scratched the stubble along my jaw, thinking about the scene with Lux I’d walked in on, as I watched him mix everything together. “Get this, she was gone when I woke up. Just left me a note.”

The batter sizzled as it hit the hot waffle plate, and the scent of sugar and cinnamon filled the air.

“What? She didn’t even wake you up with a morning blowie?”

“Nope.” I shook my head, wondering if I was overthinking it. Probably. “But that’s not the weirdest part. I was making coffee, and found photos of her and the boss.”

Lux opened the fridge and pulled out a packet of turkey bacon, laid each rasher out on a griddle, then placed it on the burners. “Springsteen? That’s cool.”

“No, Shepherd. Penn Shepherd!Ourboss.”

He spun around, looking shocked. “Penn Shepherd?”

“Beulah Holmes was in it too. And Lowe Slater. Looked like they were best friends or something.”

Parker pulled out a stool and sat down next to me. “What are you saying about Beulah? You haven’t been to see her again, have you? She’s gonna ban you from the exec floor if you’re not careful.”

“What? She’s not going to do that,” I scoffed with a frown because no one would take me seriously, and it was beginning to piss me off, “but no, there was a photo of her with this girl I hooked up with. Woman, I mean.”

“What?”

“I hooked up with a girl last night and found a photo of her, Beulah, and Lowe this morning.”

“And Shepherd,” added Lux, as he poured the eggs into another pan.

“You were snooping in a girl’s apartment?”

“Don’t say it like you wouldn’t do the same. It was on the fridge. I was grabbing cereal, and saw it.”

“Who was she?”

I shrugged. “I dunno. Her name was Payton.”

“Who was who?” asked Tanner as he joined us at the counter, pouring himself a glass of milk like he was ten years old.

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